Nailing your drama school interview
I recently helped a coaching client prepare for her drama school interview. I was gobsmacked by how well prepared she was. I actually said to her, “Marie (not her real name), they would be silly not to take you”.
Did she get in?
Of course!
Actor friend, you want this. You want to be so well prepared for your interview that your answers leave no trace of doubt in the panellists’ minds that YOU SHOULD BE AT THEIR SCHOOL.
And the good news is, it’s actually quite simple to do!
To prepare, you will need to put a little bit time into research and a bit into formulating your answers. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming, but you need to be smart about it. You need to be looking in the right direction.
Unfortunately, a lot of actors BOMB at this.
Let’s look at a couple of examples of different ways to approach the interview, and see what you notice.
Audition panellist: Why do you want to come to our school?
Actor A: “I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was little. I love watching movies. I like how your school has such a good reputation. I think you should invest in me because I’m determined to be a big success as an actor.”
Actor B: “I’m really attracted to the physical theatre component of your second year curriculum, and I’m excited about working with Ms Lead Vocal Tutor At Your School. I’m interested in performing in socially conscious plays, which I know your school often has produced in the past. Last year acted in Socially Conscious Play by Mr Local Playwright and I was really inspired by the community response, and I really related to the theme of Personally Relevant Stuff, because I experienced that in my life as a teenager. I appreciate that your school has a very practical approach to acting; particularly that actors only do public performances in third year, which I think will give me such a great opportunity to drill down on technique before we start to worry about agents and that sort of thing.”
Which actor do you think will get in?
Technically, there’s nothing particularly wrong with either approach, but one tends to be more effective than the other.
Actor A, while being heartfelt and honest, does nothing to demonstrate their understanding of what the school does and why that school is a good fit for them. The school has no particular reason to offer them a place or put them through to the next round. The panel will be relying entirely on the actor’s performance, and vague insights into the actor’s personality, to see if they’re a match for the school.
Actor B might seem like a suck up on paper, but that level of specificity paints a clear picture of what the actor is looking for, where they are at in their artistic practice and where they are headed - and how the school can help them get there!
Ultimately, this is what you’re doing - selling them a vision of future you - but without any ego or desperation. Being able to articulate exactly who you hope to be and how the school fits in the next step of your development is exactly what the school needs to hear.
When they hear you speak with that kind of clarity, not only will they get a picture of exactly what you know about acting technique and the industry, they will also see your maturity and a healthy sense of confidence in yourself. It will be so evident that you are your way to success because you have an actual PLAN to get there, and the school is part of that plan. The school will want to get on board.
So, how can you get that clarity?
You won’t know exactly what the interviewer will ask you but really, it’s basically the same as a job interview. The school wants to understand that you know what you’re auditioning for (you’d be surprised how many people DON’T) and whether you’re a good fit for the culture.
Just like a job interview, they’re going to ask you stuff along the lines of, “What do you think you have to offer?”, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” And “Tell me a story of when you did something really well”.
They just won’t be in those exact words.
I recommend asking yourself three main questions:
Why do I want to go to this PARTICULAR school? Not just drama school generally, but this school. This requires that you dig a bit into the kind of programs they offer, the staff, the curriculum, and their ethos (the ‘vibe’ of the school, what they care about).
What sort of artist do I want to be? Not just ‘whatever they cast me as’, but what kind of stories do you want to tell, and why? What actors, playwright and filmmakers do you look up to? How do you think storytelling shapes the world we live in? (You might not get this philosophical in the actual interview, but you never know! It’s a question worth asking yourself nonetheless. Sometimes being an actor can feel like being a cog in a wheel. Drama school wants you to look past all that casting type, Hollywood nonsense. They want you to invest in your art.)
How can this school help me get there? Get practical about this. Is there a particular gap in your knowledge or training that you KNOW the school will help you with? Check out past students - does the school have a reputation for churning out a particular type of actor or artist? (Not 50 years ago, but recently).
If you see yourself as a professional, then they will too. They will see that you take yourself seriously, and want to help you. Remember, it helps them if you do well after you graduate, so they’re more likely to accept actors who sound like they have a plan beyond, “Please accept me to your school and then I’ll see how it goes”.
This is not about bragging or talking yourself up. Do NOT go in there and tell them they would be stupid not to take you… let them decide that!
It’s not a test. They genuinely want to hear what you have to say. Relax, and just have a conversation.
Remember how great you are and everything you’ve done so far. You don’t need to impress them, because they don’t actually want to be impressed… they just want to see you be yourself.
It helps it if your audition is not the first time that you’ve tried answering those questions out loud! If you need help preparing for your interview, you can book a coaching session with me here.
I believe in you!
x
Sarah
